Breaking the Big Three
by jamesandlilypotter81
Summary: Despite his propensity for breaking the rules, James follows the ones his father taught him to the letter. Until, that is, a chance meeting with Lily reminds him that rules are meant to be broken.


**Written for Michelle from tumblr. Merry Christmas, and I hope you like the story!**

Breaking the Big Three

Growing up, James's father had taught him a set of rules, swearing that if he lived by them, he'd be much better off. Some of them were silly ('Never pat a man on the shoulder. It's a ridiculous gesture that doesn't help.') and some were downright strange ('If you see a witch twirl her hair with her wand, stay a good three feet away. Trust me, James, you don't want to get caught anywhere near that.'). But, at the end of the day, his father's set of rules boiled down to three simple things:

Never beg for anything.

Making mistakes and owning up to them is fine. But never apologize.

If something feels right, it mostly likely isn't—get away.

Considering his proclivity for breaking the rules, it shocked anyone who knew him to learn that, in his sixteen years, James had never been inclined to not _completely_ obey his father. In fact, some of the rules had actually turned out to be quite handy, despite how strange they were—like the time he'd gotten away from Jenny Mills once he saw she twirled her hair with her wand. It was just in time, too. Seconds later, her hair had caught on fire…

The _point_ was that he'd never had a reason to not listen to his father, to not follow the rules to the letter. And, at that moment, running down the third floor corridor, turning back to see Filch chasing them as fast as his hobble-walk would let him, James was reminded of another of his father's rules: Always, _always, _carry the Cloak on your person. You never know when it might be needed.

It was the holidays, and most of the student body had returned home for Christmas. James and the other boys—Sirius, Remus, and Peter—and decided to stay at Hogwarts in order to plan their next great prank. Unfortunately, Peter had been sent to detention, and without their watchman, James, Sirius, and Remus had been an easy target. It meant that Filch had caught them embarrassingly easily (something that had not happened since first year), and was determined to hang them up by their wrists in the dungeons (which Dumbledore _did_ _not_ condone in any way, something Filch conveniently 'forgot' each time he threatened a student).

"I can't believe you forgot the Cloak, Prongs!" Sirius yelled as he ran, bumping into James for good measure—_just_ in case he hadn't made his point already.

"I can't believe _you_ botched up the spell!" James yelled right back, shoving Sirius so hard that he nearly tripped and fell. From behind them, Filch was yelling out expletives, making the same rather detailed threats he always made.

"Both of you, shut up!" Remus panted, managing to shoot them both a glare as they ran—an impressive feat. "We have to split up. We can't _all_ land in detention. Remember what McGonagall said she would do if that happened again?"

"I call the kitchens!" Sirius immediately said, grinning when James groaned.

"And I'll take the Room of Requirement!"

"Ha, Prongs! Your turn to get caught!" Sirius cackled, and before James had the time to protest, both of them had rushed off—Sirius down the stairs, and Remus up. For a second, James hesitated, thinking that if he was the one taking the fall, he might as well let Filch catch him right there. But then he realized that it still wasn't curfew and the library was open. Perhaps if anyone was in there, he could convince them to tell Filch he'd been in the library for the past several hours…

James skidded to a halt when he reached the library and tried to calm his racing heart as he walked past several bookcases, looking for someone—anyone. He was just about to give up, to admit defeat at the hands of _Filch_, when he noticed a girl sitting in the very back, reading something intently. He rushed over to her thinking that at _last_ something had gone right, but then she looked up, and James realized two things: that the only person who could save him was Lily Evans, and that he was mostly likely doomed to have detention for the rest of the year.

He very nearly groaned aloud.

"Evans!" James cried once he reached her table, grabbing her hand and holding it tightly as he stared straight into her eyes. "I need you to do something for me."

"That's disgusting, Potter. You're all sweaty."

"I've been running for my life!" She blinked, and then raised an eyebrow.

"Running for your life?"

"Not for my _life_, per se, but close to it, anyway." When she continued to merely stare at him, he sighed. "Technicalities, really."

"What d'you want, Potter?"

"Filch is after me, and I need you to tell him I've been here since dinner. You know he'd believe _you_."

"Why is he after you?" Normally, the fact that Lily was willingly talking to him, seemingly interested in what he had to say, would have made him giddy. But at that moment, he was just annoyed. She _would_ choose the worst possible moment to be interested.

"He _might_ be upset because Sirius, Remus, and I _may_—and I say '_may_'—have bewitched the suits of armor to follow him around everywhere. And Sirius _might_ have said the incantation wrong, so they _might_ also be yelling out expletives when they see any professors. But…"

"…technicalities, really?" Lily finished for him, a ghost of a smile on her face. James would have grinned at her, but at that moment, he heard Filch enter the library—the ridiculous caretaker must have finally caught up to him.

"I've got you now, Potter!" he wheezed, and James could hear him—actually _hear_ him—begin his frantic search of the library. James tightened his hold on Lily's hand.

"C'mon, Evans. Tell him I've been here."

"Why not ask one of your cohorts?"

"Sirius and Remus were with me, and they forced me to take the fall this time."

"And Pettigrew?"

"He's in detention, the wanker. I can't use him as an alibi."

"Potter—"

"Please, Evans. _Please_. I can't get another detention—McGonagall would positively _murder_ me." Lily rolled her eyes and pulled her hand out of his grasp.

"Would you let me finish?" she asked, flexing her fingers as if to ensure they were still working properly. She then fished out a stack of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink from her bag and handed it to him. "Sit down. I'll be your alibi. Against my better judgment." And though she said it with a frown, trying to look like she was reprimanding him, her tone was light and her eyes seemed unnaturally bright.

"Have I ever told you that you're the most brilliant person I've ever known?" James asked as he sat down across from her, giving her the biggest grin he could. Lily opened her mouth to respond, but it was at that moment that Filch hobbled over, red-faced and his chest heaving.

"I've…caught…you…now, Potter," he panted, pointing a finger at James, a manic grin on his face. Lily smiled and shook her head.

"Mr. Filch, is there something wrong?"

"That…_boy_," Filch began, as if he couldn't believe James was human, let alone a _boy_, "is in a great deal of trouble! He was just on the second floor, tampering with the suits of armor!" Lily stared at the caretaker calmly, and seemed utterly poised despite the fact that she clearly saw a great deal of Filch's spit splatter onto her book. Had it happened to James, he would have asked for something to disinfect his possessions…suddenly, it occurred to James why Filch didn't like him.

"Mr. Filch, I'm afraid James has been with me since dinner. We've been working on a Transfiguration essay." She pointed to her stack of parchment, and sure enough, there was a half-written essay in the mix. "Did you actually _see_ James tamper with the suits of armor?" For a second, Filch looked like he was in a daze, but then his eyes bulged.

"I'm sure it was Potter! Professor Dumbledore will handle this…" Lily shook her head immediately.

"I assure you, Mr. Filch. James couldn't have done it. He's been with me." When it looked like he was about to argue, Lily smiled. "But I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will be dying to hear about how you think James has done something wrong. And would even be willing to overlook the fact that you have no proof." While James certainly heard the sarcasm, Filch apparently didn't, because he nodded at Lily, gave James one last glare, before he limped off, muttering under his breath.

"This isn't over. He's off to find some sort of incriminating evidence so I can be 'punished.' The man is determined to hate me."

"Maybe because you make his life harder?"

"Do I? I always thought I made it more interesting." Lily laughed and shook her head.

"Well, run along then, Potter. I did my job as your alibi. Now let me finish this essay in peace." James leaned forward and grinned.

"Oh, I'm 'Potter' again? I thought it was 'James' now." She smiled, but raised an eyebrow and gave him a look.

"Well, that settles it, I'll never help you again," she said, shrugging.

"Really?"

"Really."

"You'd help me," James said confidently, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair. Lily snorted.

"Not even if you beg for weeks."

"I'm a Potter. Potters don't beg for anything." Lily gathered all her papers, stuffed it into her bag, and stood.

"I'm sure that's true," she said with a laugh. And with that, she patted him on the shoulder and left, leaving him quite alone in the library.

XXX

He had been spying on her all day.

While that sentence—according to Remus—made him sound like a creepy stalker (though he wasn't quite sure what other kind of stalker there was), James continued to watch her from afar, confused and not liking the feeling even a little bit.

Ever since the O.W.L debacle, or as Sirius liked to call it, 'The Time That Prongs Strung Up The Best Friend Of The Girl He Fancies,' James had kept his distance from Lily. He hadn't asked her out or even spoken to her. In fact, he tended to make sure that he was as far away from her as he could possibly be at all times. Of course, after she had lied to Filch for him the night before, James's promise to himself that he'd never think about her in that way again suddenly seemed a moot point.

So he watched her.

"I see he's back on this bandwagon," Sirius muttered as he sat down for dinner, shaking his head in mock disappointment. Peter nodded solemnly.

"Last night, she _helped_ him, and apparently, that has given him 'hope.'"

"Don't mock the hope, Wormtail," James said absentmindedly as he watched Lily laugh at something her friend—Mary was her name?—said. "Hope is always good."

"Except for when it's misplaced," Remus interjected reasonably. "She must have felt sorry for you, James. The two of you aren't even friends."

"But we should be, right?" James asked, finally looking away from Lily to stare at Remus. "I mean, there's no reason not to be."

"Except for the 'hexing her best friend' and the 'fat head' thing? No, I suppose not."

"Shut up, Padfoot. I'm being entirely serious. I could be her friend." Remus sighed, pushed his plate away—leaving his treacle tart untouched, a first for him—and frowned deeply.

"The two of you can't be friends. Not until you apologize for everything you've done to her."

"I'm a Potter, I don't apologize," James said defiantly, though he wasn't sure if he was standing up for his pride or fighting against his guilt. Sirius rolled his eyes and went back to eating, obviously bored with the conversation, but Peter clapped him on the back.

"And _that's_ why she'll never be your friend," he said with a shrug. James, however, ignored all three of them. They just couldn't understand because they weren't there last night when she had helped him. They didn't see what _he_ had seen. Last night wasn't a Lily Evans who helped him because she felt _sorry_ for him—it was a Lily Evans that seemed to enjoy the ten minutes he was there.

For one terrifying moment, James wondered if he had just been a welcome distraction from studying, but he immediately pushed that thought away. No one _lied_ for a distraction…right?

Without giving himself the time to over-think the situation, James told the others to go back up to the dormitory without him. Once he was sure they were gone (Sirius had begun coughing obnoxiously, causing several students and professors look his way in concern, and Remus kept giving James cautionary glances as they walked to the Entrance Hall), James grabbed his bag and moved down the bench so that he was sitting across from Lily and her friend. As if on cue, the friend—Mary, it was definitely Mary—got up and left, only pausing long enough to wink, which made Lily turn beet red.

"I wanted to thank you, Evans. For what you did last night," James began without preamble, giving Lily his best smile. She just shrugged.

"It wasn't that big of a deal."

"But it was! I'm not in detention at this very moment because of you." Lily smiled, and James noticed it was much different than the one she gave him last night. It seemed tighter, more guarded, as if she was doing it because she felt she had to, not because she wanted to. The thought gave James pause, and suddenly, words began tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"It wasn't right of me to ask you to lie to Filch. It was wrong, and I shouldn't have—"

"It's alright!" Lily interrupted, holding up her hands. "I know why you can't get detention. And…well, I thought helping you couldn't hurt."

"You know why?" he repeated suspiciously, his eyes narrowing on their own accord. Lily nodded.

"I heard about how that first year, Thomas Stroud, accidentally destroyed all the Christmas decorations once they were set up in here. And how you and the other boys took the blame for it so he wouldn't get into trouble."

"You're mistaken. We took the blame because it's a wonderful prank, and we can't have a first year taking credit for something like that. Our reputations couldn't handle it."

"Don't _lie_, James. I was there when Thomas started crying about how his parents would kill him if he got detention." Lily was laughing now, her elbows propped up on the table as she leaned forward. "And Mary was there when McGonagall told the four of you that if all of you got one more detention before Christmas, she'd be forced to suspend you."

"Not the four of us," James said, shaking his head.

"What?"

"Peter wasn't there. The prat had an alibi for _that_, too." At his words, Lily actually snorted, her green eyes filled with mirth.

"What _nerve_!"

"That's exactly my point!" James cried, nodding his head animatedly. "What sort of Marauder has _alibis_ for every little thing? You have to get caught every once and a while. It gives you character! Appeal!"

"A reputation?"

"_Exactly_! Why don't you be a Marauder instead of Peter? You'd be such a better fit." He didn't need to see how her smile slipped off her face and her eyes lost their glow to realize that he had put his foot in his mouth.

"No. No, I don't think so." He didn't quite know what it was—the pained expression, the way she was fiddling with her fingers, or perhaps how she wouldn't meet his eyes—but James felt something give way inside of him. He cleared his throat, and closed his eyes, unwilling to see her reaction to his words.

"Evans, I know I'm six months too late, but I am _so_ sorry for what happened that day." He obviously didn't need to explain what 'that day' was, because she didn't interrupt him. So he continued, opening his eyes and focusing on the empty plate in front of him. "I'm sorry that I went so far that I forced your best friend to call you…that _word_. I'm so sorry for everything I put you through. Evans, I am so very sorry." She didn't say anything for so long that James actually thought she had left without him noticing. But then, before he could muster the courage to actually look to see if she was still sitting across from him, he felt something touch his hand.

"I did blame you. For months afterward." Her voice was soft, a deep contrast to her cutting words. "I honestly believed that had you not existed, Severus and I would have been fine." Something in her tone had changed, and though the words were still harsh, he didn't feel it was aimed at him.

"I'm—"

"James, there were cracks in my relationship with Severus far before you came along. It just took you to open my eyes to how broken it actually was."

"I suppose, but—"

"And _I_ should be sorry for everything I said to you that day! I mean, it was _harsh_. And cruel, and so very rude. So _I'm_ sorry."

"Don't apologize!" James cried, putting his hand over Lily's mouth. Her eyes were wide and filled with confusion, but he just shook his head frantically. "You're an Evans. Evans' never apologize. It's a rule, look it up."

"I don't think that's actually true," she said once he took his hand off her mouth. "My dad apologizes to my mum all the time." James raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Really."

"You Evans' need to read the rulebook more carefully." And, to his ultimate surprise, Lily laughed.

XXX

"Look at him, the besotted fool," Sirius said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "A girl laughs at one of his more stupid jokes, and he can practically hear the wedding bells."

"I do, Padfoot, and it's such a beautiful, deep sound. You've no idea." James sat up, running his fingers through his tousled hair.

There was a bit of a tradition in their dormitory for Christmas morning. In fact, it was a rather simple thing: don't wake up before noon. While others were up, unwrapping their gifts and thanking one another, the Marauders stayed in bed, content to sleep off their hangover.

"Oh, I do have an idea. You're humming." James stopped his humming and turned around to glare at Sirius.

"Who put the stick up your—

"You! You _broke_ tradition, Prongs!" Sirius said, actually wagging his finger. "I did not get drunk last night. And I'm up at an _ungodly_ hour—"

"—it's ten-thirty, not exactly _ungodly_—"

"—all thanks to your newfound obsession with Evans!" Sirius continued, totally ignoring James.

"It's not a 'newfound' obsession, really," Remus muttered, yawning as he walked out of the bathroom threw himself back onto his bed. "It's like…a phoenix. His previous ardor has been reawakened."

"So is James the phoenix, or is it his feelings? And if it's the feelings, isn't that technically James anyway? Since his feelings make him who he is?" Peter asked, his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

"Clearly, James is the—"

"That doesn't matter!" James cried, stopping Remus before he could get into a drawn-out argument with Peter. He turned to Sirius. "I told her I'd get her a present, and I want to give it to her myself. So I'm meeting her out on the grounds." James turned back to Remus and Peter and glared at them both. "And, _obviously_, I'm the phoenix. And no, Wormtail, 'feelings' don't make us who we are. That's ridiculous."

"But—"

"No time to argue, I have to get ready." He got out of bed, grabbed some clothes, and was about to go change when Sirius called after him

"Oh, James, wear your blue dress robes, not your black. The blue really makes your hair stand out," he said. James skidded to halt and frowned.

"Really? I wasn't going to wear dress robes…" Sirius's mouth fell open and he plopped himself back on his bed, and Remus just chuckled.

"He was being sarcastic." He paused and studied Sirius's still form. "At least, I hope he was. Because that's really bad advice."

"No, Moony, I'm being perfectly serious. Maybe if Evans sees how ridiculous James actually is, she'll put a stop to all this."

"Sorry to disappoint, Sirius, but Evans likes James's 'ridiculousness.' She thinks it's funny." James's eyes widened and he stalked over to Remus.

"She what?"

"She thinks you're funny."

"She said that?"

"Not _exactly _like that, but yeah, she did."

"What were her exact words?"

"I dunno. Something like, 'Potter's alright because he acts like a dimwit to make everyone else laugh.'" James just stared at Remus, unsure where he'd gotten 'Evans thinks you're funny' out of that statement, while Sirius and Peter roared with laughter.

"She thinks you're a dimwit, mate!" Sirius snorted, nearly falling out of his bed, tears of mirth rolling down his cheeks.

"No! She said I _act _like a dimwit! Not that I am one!" But Sirius was long past listening to him. He continued to laugh uproariously, and slightly obnoxiously, acting like Lily's comment was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "You know what? I'm leaving!"

"Throwing a hissy fit, James?" Sirius called after him as he left their dormitory, his clothes still in his arms. James merely paused long enough to make a rude hand gesture.

XXX

"Evans! Evans! Hold on!"

"Potter? I thought we were supposed to meet up in an hour." James nodded as he caught up to her.

"Where are you going?"

"I left my book in the library, so I'm going to get it. What are you doing?" Her eyes narrowed slightly as she asked the question, as if she thought he'd been following her around (again).

"Well, I was just talking to Remus, and he told me something interesting." Lily raised an eyebrow, and slowed down enough that the two of them walked down the corridor side by side.

"Oh? Did he tell you about how Vincent uses patrols to sell off the last of the drinks you and Black somehow 'find' after every Gryffindor win?" James blinked.

"Vincent has been doing_ what_?"

"Oh. So that's not what he told you. Sorry." James was sorely tempted to argue—to ditch Lily and go find Vincent-the-prat and hex the fifth year so badly that he'd never dare pilfer from the Marauders again. But, with great self-control, James just smiled.

"No, that's not what he told me. But it doesn't matter." James shook his head violently to remind himself of that fact. "Remus told me that you think I'm a nitwit." Rather than become flustered, blush, and deny the claim, Lily just laughed.

"I didn't actually _call_ you a nitwit. I said you act like one."

"I fail to see the difference." Lily bit her lip, looking like she was deep in thought.

"It's just…you do stupid things sometimes, and I always thought it was because you _are_ stupid, but that's not it, is it?"

"Well, thanks for that vote of confidence, Evans," he said in a mock-huff, pretending to walk away in offense. Lily laughed and grabbed his arm, shaking her head.

"You act that way to make everyone laugh, feel better. And it's nice."

"You're calling me a clown," James pointed out, noticing that Lily hadn't let go of his arm.

"I'm calling you kind."

"No, I'm quite sure you're calling me a clown." Lily sighed.

"You caught me. I'm calling you a clown."

"It's okay, I happen to know someone who thinks clowns are kind."

"Do you?"

"Oh yes. She's also keen to say yes when I ask her out on a date."

"I actually don't think she is," Lily said with a slight frown. Had she not _still_ been holding on to his arm, James might have thought she actually meant it.

"Are you saying she'd _never_ be open to the idea, or she just isn't open to the idea at the present? Because there's a difference."

"Well, I fail to see it," Lily answered with a grin, snorting when James just shot her a look. "I think," she continued seriously, "that the clown should be her friend first."

"Her friend?" James repeated incredulously. He had expected a lot of things—a flat 'no,' a slap to the face, an angry tirade—but he hadn't expected…well, _that_.

"C'mon, James. Be serious. Just six months ago, I was shouting at you, saying awful things, and you were hexing my best friend. Do you really think a relationship with me would work out, the way things stand?"

"How do they stand?" he asked, a little jarred by the serious turn the conversation had taken. Lily stopped walking and looked up at him, her cheeks tinged pink.

"I really do like you, James. I honestly do. I like that you took the blame for Thomas, that you didn't go after Vincent just a minute ago, and that you do ridiculous things to cheer everyone else up."

"I actually have every intention to go after Vincent once this conversation is over," James muttered. Lily, other than a slight upward curve of her lips, didn't even bother to react to his statement.

"But I'd prefer to actually know you before we go out on a date."

"So, what I heard is that you _will_ go out with me, just not…now?"

"That's not what I said."

"It most certainly is."

"I said that we'll be friends, and we'll come back to this issue in a few months and see if we both still want it."

"That just seems like a silly waste of time, Evans," James said, waving his hand in disinterest. "How about this: I tell you three things I've never told anyone else, then you tell me three thing, and then we go out on a date?"

"I don—"

"Number one!" James interrupted, holding up a single finger. "I did not make eleven O. as people are saying. That's ridiculous. I made seven."

"That's not—"

"I was not sick on Valentine's day in fourth year. I locked myself in the dormitory all day to avoid the cards and flowers and chocolate. But mostly I just didn't want to see you with that disgusting Ravenclaw—"

"His name was Jonath—"

"And I've fancied you since the beginning of third year, even though I swore to Sirius and Remus that I thought girls were annoying. I just wanted to fit in," he added with a shrug. Lily stared at him for a moment, and then she shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm quite sure you've never done anything to 'fit in,'" she said with a smile. Of course, James was having none of it.

"Save the flattery, Evans. It's your turn."

"I never agreed to your terms!"

"_Evans_." She bit her lip, staring straight into his eyes for so long that James was sure she wasn't going to back down. But then she groaned and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"_Fine_. I hate lilies. I think they're ugly. I much prefer jasmines. They smell nice." James nodded, filing away that little piece of information for future reference. "I broke up with Jonathan three days before Valentine's Day in fourth year, but didn't tell anyone because I didn't want a pity fest. I wanted to _enjoy_ being free of him, not hear about how sad it was that I wasn't in a relationship on the most ridiculous holiday of the year."

"I have to say, I've heard of some very strange holidays. Valentine's Day is, surprisingly, not the worst." Of course, while he spoke calmly, he was mentally berating himself. How had he _not _noticed that she had broken up with Jonathan-the-twat? Honestly.

"I haven't fancied you since third year," she continued as if she hadn't heard him. "But I _have_ always thought you were funny. The fancying bit started last year, but you were arrogant and irritating, and that sort of put me off."

"I'm sorry, I completely stopped listening after you said 'fancied you.'"

"_James_." For a second, just a second, James was tempted to just kiss her. Kiss her despite knowing she wanted to be friends first, despite realizing that she preferred to take things a bit slower. But he was the sort of person who'd dive off a cliff without thinking twice, and Lily clearly was not.

So he hugged her.

"I'd love to be your friend," he said once he pulled away, giving her a wide grin.

"Really?"

"Really."

"It's only temporary, you know," Lily said as she started to walk towards the library again. James nodded enthusiastically.

"Dear _Merlin_, I hope it is." She laughed and bumped her shoulder against his.

"I know this is strange to say, but somehow, this feels…well, it feels right. Don't you think?" While he was inclined to disagree—you couldn't exactly take a 'friend' out on a date—he found himself nodding.

"You know, Lily, I'm a Potter. And Potters always stick with what feels right."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well, I certainly hope you actually follow this rule, and don't break it like all the other ones." For a second, James had no idea what she meant, but then he frowned.

"Remus or Sirius?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Both," she answered with a slight wince.

"Tossers, both of them. It's a good thing you and I are friends now. It's so hard to find decent mates." Lily looked at him and shook her head.

"I'm glad I could help," she finally said with a laugh.


End file.
